Sen. Tommy Wright

Housing for Veterans; Creating the “Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive Pilot Program Act”; establishing the Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive Pilot Program in certain counties, subject to legislative appropriation; requiring a landlord to submit to the contracted program administrator required documentation within a specified time period to apply for funding; authorizing a landlord to apply for up to a specified dollar amount from the funds, etc.

Military Affairs; Revising the authorization to be granted a leave of absence for military service to include the Coast Guard; clarifying a provision relating to leaves of absence for all officers and employees of the state and the counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions of the state for reserve or guard training; specifying that an authorization for a leave of absence for all employees of the state and the counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions of the state to perform active military service for a specified timeframe is based on a single order; revising the list of military positions required to participate in the Senior Management Service Class of the Florida Retirement System, etc.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-broadcasts; Prohibiting airports from using information broadcast or collected by automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast systems for specified purposes under certain circumstances, etc.

Newborn Screenings; Citing this act as “Mattie’s Law”; requiring that newborns, beginning on a specified date, be screened for biliary atresia; requiring the Department of Health to consult with the Genetics and Newborn Screening Advisory Council before adopting certain rules; requiring hospitals that provide birthing services to screen for biliary atresia in a specified manner, etc.

Florida National Guard Increased Force Structure; Urging the Congress of the United States to impel the National Guard Bureau to examine the present allocations of the Florida National Guard and allow an increase in its force structure, etc.

Trust Funds/Vacancy Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund; Creating the Vacancy Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund within the Florida Housing Finance Corporation for a specified purpose; authorizing any unexpended balance at a specified time to revert and be reappropriated for a certain purpose; providing for future review and termination or re-creation of the trust fund, etc.

Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for Nonprofit Homes for the Aged; Revising an eligibility requirement for Florida limited partnerships applying for ad valorem tax exemptions for nonprofit homes for the aged, etc.

Speech and Debate Education; Creating the Florida Speech and Debate Hall of Fame; designating Florida Speech and Debate Week annually in February; establishing the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) as a statewide speech and debate organization that performs certain functions in support of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) in the Department of Education; requiring the Board of Governors of the State University System and the State Board of Education to develop specified undergraduate and graduate coursework, certificates, and micro-credentials, etc. APPROPRIATION: $2,400,000

Pharmacy; Revising the definition of the term “health care facility” to include health care clinics owned by a hospital or physicians who work for a hospital; defining the term “covered prescription drug”; revising requirements for provider contracts between pharmacy benefit managers and certain licensed pharmacies to allow for the administration and dispensing of covered prescription drugs offsite, as well as onsite, as part of outpatient care, etc.

First Responders; Renaming the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program as the Florida Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recruitment Bonus Payment Program; authorizing the Chief Financial Officer to appoint review panels to assist in reviewing grants; creating, subject to appropriation, the Institute for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder within the Department of Financial Services for a specified purpose, etc.